Ao Tanaka has been named in Japan’s 26-man squad for this summer’s FIFA World Cup, with the Leeds United midfielder set to represent his country on the biggest stage once again.
The 27-year-old has enjoyed an impressive season at Elland Road, making 31 appearances in all competitions and scoring four goals for Daniel Farke’s side.
Tanaka found the net against Chelsea and Liverpool in the Premier League, whilst also scoring in FA Cup ties against Derby County and West Ham United.
Born in Kawasaki, Tanaka has become an important figure for the Japanese national team under head coach Hajime Moriyasu, earning 38 caps and scoring eight goals for his country to date.
Among those strikes was the memorable winner against Spain at the 2022 World Cup, helping Japan progress to the knockout stages in Qatar.
Japan will compete in Group F at this summer’s expanded 48-team tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Moriyasu’s side begin their campaign against the Netherlands on 14 June, before further group fixtures against Tunisia on 21 June and Sweden on 26 June.
The tournament itself gets underway on 11 June, with Tanaka now preparing to head into another World Cup aiming to help Japan make a deep run in the competition.
Japan's World Cup Squad
Goalkeepers: Tomoki Hayakawa (Kashima Antlers), Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Aya Suzuka (Parma Calcio).
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Shogo Taniguchi (Sint-Truiden), Ko Itakura (Ajax), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Feyenoord), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Ajax), Hiroki Ito (Bayern Munich), Ayumu Seko (Le Havre AC), Yukinari Sugawara (Werder Bremen), Junosuke Suzuki (FC Copenhagen).
Midfielders: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Junya Ito (Genk), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Koki Ogawa (NEC Nijmegen), Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ritsu Doan (Eintracht Frankfurt), Ao Tanaka (Leeds United), Kaishu Sano (Mainz 05), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad)
Forwards: Ayase Ueda (Feyenoord), Keito Nakamura (Stade de Reims), Ito Suzuki (SC Freiburg), Kento Shiode (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Goto (Sint-Truiden)
